. The spirit
which made the Servians murder their own King and his
consort still dominates that country. Doubtless You will
agree with me that both of us, You as well as I, and all
other sovereigns, have a common interest to insist that all
those who are responsible for this horrible murder shall
suffer their deserved punishment.

On the other hand I by no means overlook the difficulty
encountered by You and Your Government to stem the tide of
public opinion. In view of the cordial friendship which has
joined us both for a long time with firm ties, I shall use
my entire influence to induce Austria-Hungary to obtain a
frank and satisfactory understanding with Russia. I hope
confidently that You will support me in my efforts to
overcome all difficulties which may yet arise.[60]

[Footnote 60: German _White Paper_, No. 20. The Capitals to the
pronouns follow the original correspondence.]

This telegram rings true, and fairly suggests a pacific attitude on
the part of the Kaiser when he first took the helm on his return from
Norway. Its weakness lies in the fact that the record, as presented by
the German Government, does not disclose any communication which he
sent to his Austrian ally in the interests of peace. We have the
frequent assurances of the Kaiser to the Czar that he was exerting
all his influence to induce his ally to come to a satisfactory
understanding with Russia, _but neither over the signature of the
Kaiser nor over that of his Foreign Minister does the record show a
single communication addressed to Vienna in the interests of peace_.

The Czar did not fail to appreciate this, and his reply to the Kaiser
rings quite as true and suggests the crux of the whole problem. It
reads:

I am glad that You are back in Germany. In this serious
moment I ask You earnestly to help me. An ignominious war
has been declared against a weak country, and in Russia the
indignation, which I fully share, is tremendous. I fear that
very soon I shall be unable to resist the pressure exercised
upon me and that I shall be forced to take measures which
will lead to war. To prevent such a calamity as a European
war would be, I urge You in the name of our old friendship
to do all in Your power _to restrain Your ally from going
too far_.[61]

[Footnote 61: German _White Paper_, No. 21.]

Who can deny the forc